Tuesday, December 3, 2013

This time of the year, sitting down to a hot bowl of
soup, stew or chowder warms your bones and somehow makes everything feel right
with the world.

New England-style Clam Chowder, or "Chow-da" as
those in Boston refer to it, is one of my favorite ways to warm up and
indulge.Now don't get me wrong, I
appreciate and enjoy Manhattan-style chowder as well, but given the choice I
will always choose New England.Don't
judge - I adore cream! And this is not the time of year to worry about
calories!

Though I do believe steaming and shucking your own clams
is the preferred way to go, the following recipe is a damn good stand-in for
those of us who do not reside on the east coast; and I am betting you will not
be disappointed.

Serve this chowder alongside some warm, crusty bread, a
light salad, and a crisp and refreshing white wine; and you are very close to
heaven my friend... Now go! Go and make a big, steaming pot of this chowder and
watch the snow fall.

Clam Chowder (New England Style)

6-8 Servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

cooked bacon (an amount to your liking)

1 medium onion diced

1 carrot, diced

2 celery stalks, quartered and sliced into ¼ inch pieces

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups of chicken stock

4 (10 oz.) cans of clams with their juice

2 cups of heavy cream

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon of thyme

Pinch of cayenne

2 pounds of potatoes, diced

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat.Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté
until softened.Stir in the flour to
distribute evenly.Add the chicken stock
and juice from the chopped clams (reserve the clams).

Add the cream, bay leaves, cayenne, thyme and
potatoes.Stir to combine.Bring to a simmer and thicken slightly.Reduce heat to low and cook 20-30 minutes,
stirring often, until potatoes are tender.

Add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper.Simmer a few more minutes to heat clams
through.Serve chowder with bacon
crumbled on top.